Against All Odds
by KatiePoo2010
Summary: Nothing is left of Earth, except for a group of young adults and a small child. Resources are running slim, and the group struggle to survive. A turn of events strike when a mysterious man with a dangerous personality crash lands on Earth. The group must fight for survival, with the aide of this new man. Friendships strain. Love blossoms. Hell awaits. Rated M for stuffs. R&R.
1. Wasteland

Earth was no longer a safe place, at least for most people. As of four months ago, our planet, now conquered by the ruthless creatures that had attacked us, had fallen to ruins. They came from space; there was no way of knowing they were coming. Even the military was of no use. Where thriving cities once stood, full of life and archetecture, now lay as a barren wasteland. We were once a lively, happy people. This is what we are reduced to; nothing.

I sat on the ground, my boots caked in mud. My denim jeans, which were tucked securely into my boots, also collected a significant amount of dirt, as my butt sunk into the moist ground. My once white tank top now had a generous amount of rips and tears, a sign that I'd been through plenty of rough times.

Earth's population had been at least ninety eight percent wiped out. Those of us who survived, well we only survived because we had been in the basement of my home; Capsule Corporation. Not only were we in the basement, but we were in a secret compartment of it, which we had built just in case of nuculear warfare. As it turned out, nuclear warfare was a party compared to what actually happened.

There were only a handful of us that lived that day, that I knew of:

Myself, the famous Bulma Brief. I was the daughter of Dr. Trunks Brief, and his wife, Bunny. My father was a world famous genuis, and I had inherited every bit of his scientific mind when I was born. To say I was the brains of this operation would be an understatement. I held the scientific mind to help us through this horrible appocalypse. I, the blue haired, blue eyed genuis will do all I can to help us survive.

Then there is Son Goku. He's the most powerful man that I know, and he is also like a little brother to me. We've been through so much together. His stregnth is unrivaled by anyone. Just one look at his tall, built form is enough to make most people run in fear. But he's sweet. He's also a family man, and has a wife and a son. If anyone can defend us against any odds, it's him. That is, if he'd quit worrying about food for once. I swear, the goofball is so scatterbrained sometimes.

Chi Chi is Goku's wife. I like her a lot, but sometimes she can be a bitch. Not that I can't, but sometimes it's like she can't grasp onto the concept that we are in the middle of a disaster, and is more worried about schooling her son. It's pointless, really. What use is schooling Gohan when he can't do anything with it right now? Chi Chi is one of the strongest women on Earth, and is extremely skilled in martial arts.

Gohan; sweet, innocent little Gohan. He looks just like his father, but he is so levelheaded that for a five year old, it sometimes scares me. The innocence in his heart is so pure. He sees the good in everything. Goku claims that he can see something big hiding inside of him, but we have yet to discover that.

Our next specimen, well, he definitely isn't human. I'm convinced he is an alien, but even he doesn't know. His name is Piccolo, and he is a giant, ripped, green man with antanae, though a majority of the time he sports a turban on his head and a cape on his shoulders. Piccolo was once an enemy, but over the course of time, he and Goku settled their differences and he know fights for the good of the Earth.

Yamcha, the man I once called my boyfriend, is also one of Earth's mightiest fighters, though he is nowhere near being as strong as Goku. He pretty much gave up his stregnth and went for playing baseball, where he had women flirting with him all the time. Being the nice guy that he is, of course he flirted back. If it went any further than flirting, I wouldn't know, nor would I want to know. I guess it's my fault, though. I didn't want to give my virginity up right now. I wasn't ready. While he was ready from week one, I wasn't, and his flirting began. That's when I got my feelings crushed, and the break ups and get together's began. Though we are no longer together, he is still a friend, and he is a good person.

Unfortunately, everyone else, including the rest of the world's mightiest fighters, my parents, and our friends, perished in the doom that was brought forth on our planet. While that weighs heavy on our hearts, as Goku told all of us; we must stay strong to survive, and mourn later. They wouldn't want us to mourn to death.

"Bulma, you alright?", I looked up to see Goku, who carried the carcass of a deer over his shoulder. I'd never been big on the sight of dead animals, but I grew used to it after the adventures we used to have. Goku, the strange little boy with the tail of a monkey; you heard me correct, he had a tail. That was before our old friend and Goku's master, Master Roshi, cut it off. Long story there, just know that it was the only way to stop a destructive force. Gohan also has a tail. I guess it is genetic.

Giving Goku the best smile that I could muster, I let him help me up and I shook my head, "Not really, Goku. None of us are. I'm just thinking about what to do. We've been stuck without any other human contact for four fucking months, Goku! What are we going to do? The population has been reduced to us, there is hardly any wildlife left to hunt or fish for, and winter is approaching; fast. I have no winter clothes. None of us do. We're going to freeze!"

"Whoa, just calm down," he said as we walked back toward the basement that had saved us that day. We had thankfully been having a little get together at my family's house, and the planet had been purged while we were there. Luckily, we had just enough time to take cover. I didn't want to go without my mother and father, who were at the supermarket buying food for the get together, but Yamcha dragged me down into the pit of the basement.

"Bulma, I know you're scared. We all are; even me. You know the only thing that scares me is a needle," he cringed as he spoke, making me laugh, "but we have to keep our heads up. We'll figure something out. Chi Chi is doing all she can to find material to make warm clothes for us. Piccolo is searching across the planet for anything of value that we can use, and Yamcha..."

"Isn't doing shit, as usual," I grimaced, "All he does is sits on his ass or goes out and says he's fishing. Have you noticed that in the past four months, he has yet to come back with a single fucking fish?!"

"I understand this," Goku continued, "but the last thing we need to do is fight with each other. We are all we have left. We only have each other. Gohan is doing what he can, as well."

"Gohan is just a child, Goku," I sighed, "I uderstand. I'm not mad at him in the least. He's very good at helping me with the math that I need to work on the project."

"Speaking of the project," he said slyly, "are you ever going to tell us what it is? We're all itching to know and-"

"No, Goku, I can't tell you what it is right now," I said seriously, "if I even mention it, you will all become hopeful. If I fail at what I'm trying to create after giving you all hope, then I've failed you all. I will not be the one to let anyone down."

ooOoo

The good news is, I still had my lab; well, part of it anyway. My labratory also had a huge, underground chamber full of electronics and technology, just incase we needed it. It's a good thing my father was so paranoid, or else we'd be up shit creek right now. There was a complete labratory, plus a huge, open space perfect for what I was working on; a space ship.

I knew I had disappointed Goku earlier by not telling him what my ongoing project was, but I could not afford to let him or anyone else down. I didn't want them looking to me for hope, only for me to crush it.

Gohan had been assisting me as much as he could, and for that I was greatful. He wouldn't tell a soul what we were working on. While I did a lot of the busy work, Gohan was my mathamatics man. Together we made a perfect team. I may have called Chi Chi a bitch for shoving schooling down Gohan's throat, but nonetheless, I wouldn't be recieving the help I'm getting now if it weren't for her. Her son was brilliant!

"You ready, Gohan?", I asked while pulling on my gloves and my eye protection. I was in full science gear.

"Ready, Miss Bulma!", he said, settling down at the table with blueprints and a notebook in front of him.

I smiled. Today, we would take the next step to getting our asses off this wasteland, and onto something better.


	2. Near Death Experience

We had been working on a space ship; something to get us off of this Kami forsaken planet that was once our home. I didn't know what we would be looking for once we made it into the Solar System, but anywhere had to be better than here. There was once a time where I believed that we were the only race in the universe; that there was no other sign of life out there. I had been proven wrong. We all had, when the monsters attacked us.  
Thus, I could not bring myself to let our little secret out to our small group of friends. If I invoked hope into their hearts, and something went wrong or it didn't work out, then I became the monster; the monster that crushed that hope. I had sought out Gohan's assistance, and after getting into a fight with Chi Chi, who thought he should be studying instead, she had reluctantly agreed to let him help me with my secret project.  
The kid was smart. While my mind was all over the place, stressed to no end, he was there to help me sort out the kinks that my tired brain couldn't. For that, I would forever be grateful.  
"Alright, Gohan," I said, pulling my hair back into a ponytail, "What exactly have we deduced?"  
"Well, from what I understand," Gohan started, scratching his head. Just like his father. "We should have the ship ready in about a month. We have to have some sort of electricity for it to function, which we have due to the generator. But we need some kind of core. A heart, if you want specifics. There isn't any electricity in space that we know of. Your blueprints are spot on, from what I can tell, and from what you have completed on the ship itself, it looks awesome! I just don't understand how we're going to make a core, do you?"  
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, "No, Gohan, I don't. I just don't know what to do. I've lived my entire life with everything I needed right there in front of me; now it's just gone. I don't know what kind of monsters attacked us, but I'd rather not run into them again if we can help it. We've got the cloaking device figured out. As far as power, I've got nothing."  
Suddenly, I felt myself being knocked off of my feet, and I hit the ground. The lab equipment that surrounded us began to shake, and I watched as Gohan crawled down in the floor under the table.  
"Miss Bulma, give me your hand!", he shouted, and I obliged, feeling the rather strong five year old jerk me underneath the table with him. We both got on our hands and knees and covered our heads, huddled so close together that I could feel the heat radiating off of Gohan.  
"What kind of fucking earthquake is this?!", I screamed as it continued on, nonstop. Oh no, I hope everyone is okay out there!  
Then, just as sudden as it had happened, the quake came to a screeching halt. Hesitantly, we both looked at each other and proceeded to crawl out from under the table. My lab was a wreck, to say the least. At least...at least the ship was fine, considering it was supported by chains hanging from the ceiling.  
"Miss Bulma, what just happened?", a startled Gohan asked, shaking like a leaf. As frightened as I was, I pulled myself together to be the adult here. I couldn't let myself fall to the level of showing my fear.  
"I don't know, Gohan," I answered truthfully, "but we'd better go make sure that everyone is alright."  
I threw my lab coat onto the table, followed by my eye protection and gloves. Taking Gohan's hand, we both ran to the door and proceeded outside.  
What we saw sent a chilling sense of De Ja Vu through me, and I froze. There in front of us, and all of our friends who stood around, was a round space pod. At least, that's what I deduced it to be. My mind went ninety to nothing. It looked as though half of it was crushed into the ground, and it was lit up in flames.  
"GOKU!", I screamed as he approached it, "No! What if...what if it's them?!"  
"It isn't," he stated calmly, "The ki of this individual feels different. It's not a good ki, but it's fading rapidly, and I'm going to help them."  
I watched in horror as he placed his hands in the position to use one of his signature attacks. If the ki he senses is bad, why the hell is he trying to help them?! For Kami's sake, Goku! Stop being so sentimental! Our lives are at stake, here!  
"Kame," he started, bringing his hands back.  
"Hame," I saw the glowing blue orb forming in his hands and my eyes closed.  
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!", he yelled. I heard the beam as it left his hands, and I heard it even better when it hit the space pod.  
I didn't want to, but I opened my eyes and there it was in all of it's glory. The alien monster...wait.  
"Is that a man?!", I ran forward, despite the cries of my fellow companions.  
A pair of strong hands gripped my shoulders, holding me back.  
"Yamcha," I growled, "let me go!"  
"No, B," he said firmly, "you don't know what the hell that thing is! Look, it's got a tail!"  
"Well, so did Goku!", I turned in his grip and yelled at him, "And we all were okay with him! We're fine with Gohan! Calm the fuck down, Yamcha. Stop being such a dick! He's hurt!"  
I approached the man that lay on the ground. I was baffled beyond belief that Goku's Kamehameha didn't kill him, as powerful as it is. I crouched down beside him, and took in his appearance. His flesh had a tanned tone, as if he'd spent a lot of time outdoors in the heat. He had a muscular build that border lined insane; much like Goku. He wore some sort of armor like I'd never seen before; it was a royal blue jumpsuit, with a white and gold chest plate and gold shoulder pads. Unfortunately, it was reduced to nothing but tatters. He was also wearing white boots.  
My eyes traveled up his insanely toned neck up to his face. When I took his face in, my breath hitched in my throat; he was...handsome. Insanely handsome. Every inch of his face was well chiseled; from the point of his nose to the crease between his eyes. His lips were partially opened, revealing a set of pearly whites, and two sharp canines. Just like Goku's... His eyes were closed, and above them sat two thick, black eyebrows that set his face in one of pain. His hair defied gravity, as the black, flame shaped hair stood straight up on top of his head. Just like Yamcha said, he did indeed have a tail that looked exactly like the one Goku once had, and the one Gohan has.  
Despite the man looking so incredibly handsome, he had been through hell. His skin and clothes were both burned, I assumed from the space pod that was on fire. He had ash all over him, and cuts and scrapes littered his skin.  
"We need to get this man to the basement!", I looked up at everyone, "NOW!"  
Goku and Piccolo approached the man and lifted him with ease, careful to not harm him further. Chi Chi ran up to me, and I asked, "Chi Chi, please tell me you have some kind of medical knowledge. I do, but I'm going to need help. Can you help me?"  
"Pfft," she snorted, "Of course I know all about bandaging wounds and such; Goku is my husband, and Gohan is my son. I have to be prepared for the worst."  
"I guess it was obvious," I smirked, "Let's do this."  
ooOoo

Four hours, twenty-seven stitches, several rolls of gauze, and two tubes of burn ointment later, we had the mystery man lying on one of the extra beds in the basement. He hadn't woken up yet, and I was thankful. I knew that I'd hate to be awake while being stitched up.  
I watched the rise and fall of his bare chest as he slept; oblivious to the group of people that surrounded him. I wonder where he came from? He reminds me of Goku a lot. The fangs, the tail, the muscle...but not the hair. Not that face. Not that...that aura I get from him. I hope he wakes up soon...I'm itching to ask him some questions.  
"Well," Piccolo started, "I don't know who he is, but I almost got flattened, as well as Yamcha. It was all fine; I was meditating, and I suddenly got hit with a sense of a powerful ki coming directly toward me. Yamcha was walking by, and I grabbed him and flew to a safe distance. Then, the space pod hit, and went into flames."  
"It felt like a massive, continuous earthquake," I piped in, "Poor Gohan and I had to hide under the table in my lab."  
"The question is," Yamcha said dryly, "Where the hell did this thing come from? What is he? And why does he look like he's dressed for battle?"  
"First of all," I frowned at him, "He isn't an it, he is a man, in case you couldn't tell. Second, we won't know until he wakes up. Duh!"  
"Bulma," he sighed, "Stop being so rash to protect this guy! You dont know anything about him!"  
"No, but I do know that I'm not going to be so damn quick to jump and judge someone, Yamcha!", I yelled at him, "You don't know what he's been through, either, so you have no right to bash him! He is clearly hurt, and if it was you in his shoes, you'd be crying like a little baby wanting someone to fawn over you!"  
"Guys, guys, calm down," Goku said, stepped away from his wife to stand in between us, "It doesn't matter who or what he is, or where he came from. Right now, what matters is that we've found someone else who is alive. Whether or not he is of Earth does not matter. We've been searching for signs of life, well, here's one right here! This is our sign that we aren't alone. Bulma, I know you're of pure heart, but be cautious. We still don't know his intentions. Yamcha, we were trained to defend; not to outright judge. Both of you are at fault here, so don't blame each other. Now, calm down!"  
"Yes, Goku," I mumbled and sat down on the chair next to the bed. I was the most qualified to do anything if something were to happen to the mystery guy. We'd done what we could with what we had; just one measly medical kit from the basement. That's all my father had thought to pack in there. I felt like crying. Why couldn't anyone understand my reasoning? And Yamcha...of all the people to belittle me, it had to be him. He acts as though he is superior to me, and that I have to listen to him. I'm not his girlfriend anymore. I don't have to obey his every command.  
Just as I opened my mouth to say something, I heard movement to my right, and I snapped my head in the direction of the noise. The mystery man was wincing in pain, and his eyes opened. Barely, but it was enough to make my breath hitch in my throat again. His eyes were black, again, like Goku's. He was dazed. His gaze shifted up to my face, and he stared at me in confusion.  
Before anyone could throw out any questions, or protest against me speaking, I said, "How are you feeling?"  
If looks could kill, I'd be in Hell right now. He looked angry, but for no reason that I could decipher. "Who the hell are you people and what the fuck am I doing here?"  
None of us got out a reply, because he sat up, looked at me and said with a smirk, "By the way, woman, you should lower your voice. You're giving me a splitting headache."  
"Excuse me?", I said through clenched teeth. What an ass! And to think I thought that he was handsome! "Why don't you learn some manners, you dweeb! We saved your life!"  
I instantly regretted my words as I felt myself being slammed against the concrete wall, his onyx eyes glaring daggers into my blue ones, "How dare you! You dare speak to me, the Prince of all Saiyans in such a manner? I'll kill you, you stupid cu-"  
"You'll do no such thing!", I watched as he was jerked off of me, and thrown onto the ground. I looked at my savior, Goku, and my eyes filled with a thankfulness I never knew I could provide.  
"Now answer me this, Prince of all Saiyans, who the hell are you, and what the hell is your problem?", Goku growled, something I hadn't seen in a long time, "You don't just jump people like that, especially Bulma! She was so insistent on helping you, and you repay her by threatening to kill her?"  
His foot rested on the chest of the man whom we'd regretfully rescued, and I was shocked to say the least; Goku of all people was having a real struggle holding the man down.  
Suddenly, the man stilled, and his eyes widened, "What the hell...what is another Saiyan doing here? Alright, let me up; I'll talk."  
We all stood there, dumbfounded. This man, or Saiyan as he calls it, had just tried to kill me. Better yet, he had threatened to kill me, but I knew he was speaking the truth. I couldn't get that crazed look of his out of my head. He looked...feral. That's one way of putting it. I was so frightened in that moment, and it never occurred to me that hey, Bulma, this guy could be a cold blooded killer. No. I only ever saw the good in people. It took a lot for me to even break it off with Yamcha. Now here I am, feeling like an idiot when I should have listened to him when this Saiyan's stupid space craft crash landed. Good one, Bulma. Good one.


End file.
